Mertvye dushi [Dead Souls]

Subtle irony, unforgettable characters, a brilliant text by Nikolai Gogol, an unmatched performance by Alexei Bagdasarov (the actor and the director), and unique music by Vladimir Brus combine to make Dead Souls an audiobook that will touch every living soul.

Idiot (Idiot)

Dostoevsky contrived and wrote his novel The Idiot in Switzerland where the great enlightener Jean-Jacques Rousseau was born. The writer showed the imminent destruction of his protagonist facing the conflict with tragic reality. The striking and almost painfully outstanding story of poor Prince Myshkin, frantic Parfyon Rogozhin and desperate Nastassya Filippovna still has its dazzling magnetism for the reader.

Prestuplenie i nakazanie [Crime and Punishment]

Crime and Punishment is the story of a crime - a double murder committed by a student for the money. However simple the plot is, the novel becomes etched into the mind and soul of a reader or listener. What is so enigmatic about it? Besides the plain and obvious - that it is all due to Dostoevsky’s genius - there is at least one other explanation: some questions do not have any unsophisticated and definite answers.

Voyna i mir [War and Peace]

Neither by its scale nor its structure does War and Peace, a world-famous epic by Leo Tolstoy, resemble a classic novel. There is no love triangle or romantic or social conflict as a plot foundation. Historical scenes and scenes from private or family life are equally important. Still, for many years, readers encountering this classic have found pages that have touched their very souls.

Anna Karenina

At the railway station, where his mother has arrived from St. Petersburg, Count Alexei Kirillovich Vronsky meets Anna Arkadyevna Karenina, the wife of Alexei Alexandrovich Karenin, an influential St. Petersburg statesman. This casual meeting makes an indelible impression on both of them. Vronsky is passionately in love with Anna, and she with him. But as a married woman with an eight-year old son, she understands that she cannot - and should not - be interested in this brilliant young officer....

The Twelve Chairs [Russian Edition]

The Twelve Chairs is one of the most popular and prolific satirical novels written by Odessa-based Ilya Ilf and Yevgeny Petrov. Set in Soviet Russia, the story starts with a deathbed confession about substantial family treasures hidden from the Bolsheviks in one of the twelve chairs. A team of treasure hunters is quickly formed. Smooth operator Ostap Bender and Kisa, the Pussycat, set off to track down the chairs. They are not alone in their quest.

The Golden Calf

Ostap Bender is still alive after barely surviving the assassination attempt in the previous book, which he once briefly mentions as "stupid business". This time he hears a story about a clandestine millionaire named Alexandr Koreiko. Koreiko has made millions through various illegal enterprises while pretending to live on an office clerk's salary of 46 rubles a month. Read in Russian by Aleksey Kortnev and Aleksey Bagdasarov.

Short Stories

These are short stories of one of the greatest writers in the world, Anton Chekhov. For more than 100 years, his humor and philosophy have surprised readers by their depth and brightness. These stories are for Russia and Russians, as much today as they were 100 years ago.

Besy [The Possessed]

Here is a political and philosophical novel, Possessed by Fyodor Dostoevsky, a powerful, deep, and ingenious masterpiece. A man’s soul is here shown as a battlefield between Good and the Evil, between two world orders. But is it possible for a man to bear this battle inside and, in every wish, thought, and deed, make the right choice?

Oblomov

Oblomov is one of the great Russian classics. Controversial and original, the novel is considered both a model of critical realism work and a bald satire. The critics unanimously agree that Oblomov is a brilliant and timeless example of Russian prose.

Pohozhdeniya bravogo soldata Shveyka [The Good Soldier Svejk and His Fortunes in the World War]

Josef Švejk, a funny but ordinary man, modest and plain, good-natured and positive, is one of the most famous and favorite characters in world literature. In this admirable, witty, sharp, ironical, and even grotesque book Jaroslav Hašek protests against war, blood spilling, and death - and all the absurdity and foolishness of the world.

Samoylov did an outstanding job in portraying the characters! I haven't heard anything (anyone) better. it's like listening to a play on a radio!

Any additional comments?

Growing up in USSR i couldn't escape reading this book when at school It was a part of compulsory reading that we HAD to do. I personally think it was great idea, but WAY to early to get to the point and main idea of the book.Now, decades later i keep reading it all over and over again. It is by far one of my favorite books. Every time i find something new for myself!

Highly recommend this version to all native Russians and people who can comprehend Russian language (Speech).

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